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Overview of the events of 1945 in film
Overview of the events of 1945 in film
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events. With 1945 being the last year of
World War II , the many films released this year had themes of patriotism, sacrifices, and peace.
[1] In the United States, there were more than eighteen thousand movie theatres operating in 1945, a figure that grew by a third from a decade earlier.
[2]
Top-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1945 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1945
Rank
Title
Distributor
Domestic rentals
1
The Bells of St. Mary's
RKO
$8,000,000
[3]
2
Leave Her to Heaven
20th Century Fox
$5,550,000
[3]
3
Spellbound
United Artists
$4,975,000
[4]
4
The Valley of Decision
MGM
$4,566,000
[5]
5
Anchors Aweigh
$4,498,000
[5]
6
Week-End at the Waldorf
$4,364,000
[5]
7
Thrill of a Romance
$4,338,000
[5]
8
The Lost Weekend
Paramount
$4,300,000
[4]
9
State Fair
20th Century Fox
$4,050,000
[4]
10
National Velvet
MGM
$3,678,000
[5]
Events
January 26 – The film
National Velvet , starring
Mickey Rooney ,
Elizabeth Taylor ,
Donald Crisp and
Anne Revere , is released nationally in the United States. The film is an instant critical and commercial success, propelling 12-year-old Taylor to stardom and earning Revere the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress .
January 30 – Restricted release of
Kolberg , an historical epic which is one of the last
Nazi Germany propaganda pieces, in war-torn Berlin. Given its cast of 187,000 (including serving military personnel), probably fewer people view it than appear in it.
April 20 – Release of
Son of Lassie , the 2nd
Lassie film and the first film ever to be filmed using the
Technicolor monopack method, where a single magazine of
film is used to record all of the
primary colors . Prior to this method, the most popular recording method was
3-Strip Technicolor , which simultaneously used 3 individual film magazines to record the primary colors.
August 10 – Animated
Donald Duck short
Duck Pimples is released.
September 27 – Release of
Roberto Rossellini 's
Roma Città aperta marks the beginning of
Italian neorealism in film.
October 5 – A strike between the set decorators' union and the studios boils over and becomes known as the
Hollywood Black Friday .
October 31 –
Spellbound , a psychological thriller directed by
Alfred Hitchcock , premieres in New York City.
November 16 –
Paramount Pictures releases theatrical short
cartoon titled
The Friendly Ghost , introducing a ghost named
Casper .
November 29 – At the
Nuremberg trials a documentary on the
Nazi concentration camps directed by
John Ford is exhibited as evidence.
Awards
1945 film releases
January–March
January 1945
4 January
8 January
18 January
26 January
February 1945
March 1945
3 March
The Picture of Dorian Gray
16 March
April–June
April 1945
7 April
17 April
20 April
The Horn Blows at Midnight
29 April
May 1945
June 1945
July–September
July 1945
August 1945
September 1945
October–December
October 1945
20 October
26 October
31 October
And Then There Were None
Spellbound
November 1945
December 1945
7 December
8 December
20 December
25 December
28 December
31 December
Notable films released in 1945
United States unless stated
A
B
Back to Bataan , directed by
Edward Dmytryk , with
John Wayne
A Bell For Adano , starring
Gene Tierney and
John Hodiak
The Bells of St. Mary's , directed by
Leo McCarey , starring
Bing Crosby and
Ingrid Bergman
Blithe Spirit , directed by
David Lean , starring
Rex Harrison and
Constance Cummings , based on the play by
Noël Coward – (
GB )
Blood on the Sun , starring
James Cagney
The Body Snatcher , directed by
Robert Wise , starring
Boris Karloff
Boule de suif (Angel and Sinner) – (
France )
Bougainvillea (Bugambilia), starring
Pedro Armendariz and
Dolores del Río – (
Mexico )
Brewster's Millions , starring
Dennis O'Keefe
Brief Encounter , directed by
David Lean , starring
Celia Johnson and
Trevor Howard - (
GB )
C
Caesar and Cleopatra , directed by
Gabriel Pascal , starring
Vivien Leigh and
Claude Rains – (
GB )
Captain Kidd , starring
Charles Laughton
The Cheaters , starring
Joseph Schildkraut and
Billie Burke
The Cherokee Flash , starring
Sunset Carson and
Linda Stirling
Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis), by
Marcel Carné , starring
Arletty , released following the liberation of
France
Christmas in Connecticut , starring
Barbara Stanwyck
Circus Cavalcade (La cabalgata del circo) – (
Argentina )
The Clock , starring
Judy Garland
Confidential Agent , starring
Charles Boyer and
Lauren Bacall
Conflict , starring
Humphrey Bogart
Counter-Attack , starring
Paul Muni and
Marguerite Chapman
The Corn Is Green , starring
Bette Davis and
John Dall
Cornered , directed by
Edward Dmytryk , starring
Dick Powell
D
E
F
G
H
Hangover Square , starring
Laird Cregar ,
Linda Darnell and
George Sanders
Here Come the Co-Eds , starring
Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello
High Powered , starring
Phyllis Brooks and
Robert Lowery
The Horn Blows at Midnight , starring
Jack Benny
Hotel Berlin , starring
Faye Emerson and
Raymond Massey
The House I Live In , a short film starring
Frank Sinatra , awarded a special Oscar for its message of tolerance
[1]
House of Dracula , starring
Lon Chaney Jr. and
John Carradine
The House of Fear (1945 film) , a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson
The House on 92nd Street , produced by
Louis de Rochemont , starring
Lloyd Nolan and
Signe Hasso
Humayun , starring
Ashok Kumar – (
India )
I
I Know Where I'm Going! , directed by
Michael Powell and
Emeric Pressburger , starring
Wendy Hiller and
Roger Livesey – (
GB )
I Live in Grosvenor Square , starring
Anna Neagle ,
Rex Harrison and
Robert Morley – (
GB )
I'll Be Your Sweetheart , directed by
Val Guest , starring
Margaret Lockwood (
GB )
Incendiary Blonde , starring
Betty Hutton
The Invisible Army (Den usynlige hær) – (
Denmark )
Isle of the Dead , starring
Boris Karloff and
Ellen Drew
It's in the Bag! , starring
Fred Allen ,
Jack Benny ,
Don Ameche
J
K
L
M
Madonna of the Seven Moons , starring
Phyllis Calvert and
Stewart Granger – (
GB )
The Man in Half Moon Street , starring
Nils Asther
A Medal for Benny , starring
Dorothy Lamour
The Men who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (Tora no o wo fumu otokotachi), directed by
Akira Kurosawa – (
Japan )
Mildred Pierce , directed by
Michael Curtiz , starring
Joan Crawford ,
Ann Blyth ,
Jack Carson ,
Zachary Scott ,
Eve Arden
Mom and Dad , a hygiene documentary
Momotaro, Sacred Sailors (Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei), the first feature-length animated film from Japan
My Name is Julia Ross , starring
Nina Foch
N
O
P
R
S
Salome Where She Danced , starring
Yvonne De Carlo
San Antonio , starring
Errol Flynn and
Alexis Smith
Saratoga Trunk , starring
Gary Cooper and
Ingrid Bergman
Scarlet Street , directed by
Fritz Lang , starring
Edward G. Robinson and
Joan Bennett
La selva de fuego (The Forest Fire), starring
Dolores del Río and
Arturo de Córdova – (
Mexico )
The Seventh Veil , starring
James Mason and
Ann Todd – (
GB )
Son of Lassie , starring
Peter Lawford
A Song to Remember , a biopic of
Frédéric Chopin starring
Cornel Wilde
The Southerner , starring
Zachary Scott
The Spanish Main , starring
Maureen O'Hara and
Paul Henreid
Spellbound , directed by
Alfred Hitchcock , starring
Ingrid Bergman and
Gregory Peck
State Fair , starring
Dana Andrews and
Jeanne Crain
The Stork Club , starring
Betty Hutton
The Story of G.I. Joe , directed by
William Wellman , starring
Burgess Meredith and
Robert Mitchum
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry , starring
George Sanders
T
That's the Spirit , starring
Jack Oakie
They Were Expendable , directed by
John Ford , starring
Robert Montgomery and
John Wayne
The Thin Man Goes Home , starring
William Powell and
Myrna Loy
This Man's Navy , starring
Wallace Beery
The Three Caballeros , a
Walt Disney animated film starring
Donald Duck and Dora Luz
Thrill of a Romance , directed by
Richard Thorpe , starring
Esther Williams and
Van Johnson
Thunderhead, Son of Flicka , starring
Roddy McDowall
Tonight and Every Night , starring
Rita Hayworth
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn , directed by
Elia Kazan , starring
Dorothy McGuire
Twice Blessed , starring
Lee and Lyn Wilde
Two O'Clock Courage , starring
Ann Rutherford and
Tom Conway
U
V
W
A Walk in the Sun , starring
Dana Andrews
War Comes to America , directed by
Frank Capra and
Anatole Litvak
Waterloo Road , starring
John Mills and
Stewart Granger – (
GB )
The Way to the Stars , starring
John Mills and
Michael Redgrave , written by
Terence Rattigan – (
GB )
The Wicked Lady , starring
Margaret Lockwood and
James Mason – (
GB )
Without Love , starring
Spencer Tracy ,
Katharine Hepburn ,
Lucille Ball
The Woman in Green , a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson, co-starring Hillary Brook and Henry Daniell
Wonder Man , starring
Danny Kaye and
Virginia Mayo
Y
Z
Serials
Short film series
Births
January 5 –
Roger Spottiswoode , Canadian-British-American director, editor and writer
January 9 -
John Doman , American actor
January 16 –
Élisabeth Margoni , French actress
January 22
January 25 –
Leigh Taylor-Young , American actress
January 28 –
Marthe Keller , Swiss actress
January 29 –
Tom Selleck , American actor
February 3 –
Marius Weyers , South African actor
February 4 –
Tony Haygarth , English actor (died 2017)
February 8 -
Louis Giambalvo , American actor
February 9 –
Mia Farrow , American actress
February 12 –
Maud Adams , Swedish actress
February 16 –
Jeremy Bulloch , English actor (died 2020)
February 17
February 20 –
Brion James , American actor (died 1999)
February 24 –
Barry Bostwick , American actor
February 28 –
Bubba Smith , American professional football player and actor (died 2011)
March 1 -
Dirk Benedict , American actor
March 3
March 8 -
Janet Wright , English-born Canadian actress (died 2016)
March 13 –
Whitney Rydbeck , American actor
March 24
March 28 –
Raine Loo , Estonian actress (died 2020)
April 2 –
Linda Hunt , American actress
April 3 –
Catherine Spaak , Belgian-Italian actress and singer (died 2022)
April 4 -
Caroline McWilliams , American actress (died 2010)
April 11 -
Michael Brandon , American actor
May 14 -
Francesca Annis , English actress
May 18 -
Candice Azzara , American character actress
May 24 –
Priscilla Presley , American actress
May 27 -
Kip Niven , American actor (died 2019)
May 31 –
Rainer Werner Fassbinder , German director, producer and screenwriter (died 1982)
June 2
June 3 -
Bill Paterson , Scottish actor
June 6 –
David Dukes , American actor (died 2000)
June 11 –
Adrienne Barbeau , American actress
June 12 –
Edwin Neal , American actor
July 1 –
Debbie Harry , American actress and singer (lead vocalist of
Blondie (band) )
July 3 –
Mickey Rooney Jr. , American actor (died 2022)
July 4 -
Bruce French , American actor
July 6 -
Burt Ward , American actor
July 19 -
George Dzundza , American actor
July 21 -
Sergio Calderón , Mexican-born American actor (died 2023)
July 23 –
Edie McClurg , American actress and voice actress
July 26 –
Helen Mirren , English actress
August 2 –
Joanna Cassidy , American actress
August 5 –
Loni Anderson , American actress
August 14
August 15 -
Nigel Terry , English actor (died 2015)
August 21 –
Patty McCormack , American actress
August 23 –
Bob Peck , English actor (died 1999)
August 24 -
Cástulo Guerra , Argentine actor
August 28 -
Jeannie Linero , American actress
September 10 –
Dennis Burkley , American actor (died 2013)
September 11 -
Felton Perry , American actor
September 15
September 17 –
Bruce Spence , New Zealand actor
September 22 –
Paul Le Mat , American actor
October 7 –
Michael Wallis , American journalist and voice actor
October 17 -
Thomas Kopache , American actor
October 18 –
Huell Howser , American actor, television personality, host, comedian (died 2013)
October 19 –
John Lithgow , American actor
October 20 -
George Wyner , American actor
October 21 -
Everett McGill , American actor
October 23 -
Hugh Fraser , English actor
October 26 –
Jaclyn Smith , American actress
October 27 –
Carrie Snodgress , American actress (died 2004)
October 30 –
Henry Winkler , American actor
October 31 –
Brian Doyle-Murray , American actor and comedian
November 2 -
J. D. Souther , American singer-songwriter and actor
November 8 –
Angela Scoular , English actress (died 2011)
November 10
November 15 –
Bob Gunton , American character actor
November 19 -
Paula Weinstein , American producer (died 2024)
November 21 –
Goldie Hawn , American actress
November 26 -
Daniel Davis , American actor
November 27 –
James Avery , American actor (died 2013)
November 28 –
John Hargreaves , Australian actor (died 1996)
November 30 –
Billy Drago , American actor (died 2019)
December 1 –
Bette Midler , American actress, comedian and singer
December 7 -
Clive Russell , Scottish actor
December 13 –
Heather North , American actress (died 2017)
December 17 –
Ernie Hudson , American actor
December 21 –
Mari Lill , Estonian actress
December 24 –
Nicholas Meyer , American screenwriter, director and producer
December 25 -
Rick Berman , American producer and screenwriter
December 30 -
Lloyd Kaufman , American director, screenwriter, producer and actor
December 31
Deaths
January 14 –
Heinrich Schroth , 73, German actor,
Dr. Hart's Diary ,
Melody of a Great City ,
Die Entlassung ,
Rembrandt
February 23 –
Reginald Barker , 58, American director,
Civilization ,
The Bargain ,
The Coward ,
The Moonstone
March 4 –
Lucille La Verne , 72, American actress,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ,
Abraham Lincoln ,
Orphans of the Storm ,
A Tale of Two Cities
March 4 –
Mark Sandrich , 44, American director,
The Gay Divorcee ,
Follow the Fleet ,
Holiday Inn
March 30 –
Béla Balogh , 60, Hungarian director
April 10 –
Gloria Dickson , 27, American actress,
Lady of Burlesque ,
They Won't Forget
April 16 –
Willie Fung , 49, Chinese-American actor,
Come On, Cowboys ,
The Great Profile
April 29 –
Malcolm McGregor , 52, American silent screen star,
Lady of the Night ,
The Circle ,
The Whispering Shadow ,
The Ladybird
May 4 –
Anna Dodge , 77, American actress,
The Extra Girl ,
Ride for Your Life
July 13 –
Alla Nazimova , 66, Ukrainian-born stage and film actress,
Blood and Sand ,
Salomé ,
Since You Went Away ,
Madame Peacock
July 19 –
George Barbier , 80, American actor,
No One Man ,
Evenings for Sale ,
The Cat's-Paw ,
The Magnificent Dope
August 11 –
Stefan Jaracz , 61, Polish actor,
Countess Walewska
September 1 –
Terry , 11, American performing Cairn Terrier,
The Wizard of Oz
November 11 –
Jerome Kern , 60, American composer,
Show Boat ,
Swing Time
November 12 –
Jaro Fürth , 74, Austrian actor,
Diary of a Lost Girl ,
Joyless Street
November 21 –
Robert Benchley , 56, American writer and actor,
Foreign Correspondent ,
You'll Never Get Rich ,
Road to Utopia
December 25 –
Russell Gleason , 37, American actor,
Undercover Agent ,
The Covered Trailer ,
News Is Made at Night
Debuts
Star ranking according to Motion Picture Herald exhibitor's poll
*Source: Best Years Going to the Movies, 1945-1946
[6]
Notes
^
a
b Affron, Charles; Affron, Mirella Jona (2009). Best Years : Going to the Movies, 1945-1946 . New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. pp. 1–9.
ISBN
9786613588685 .
^ Film Daily Year Book (Reading, UK: Research Publications, 1947), microfilm, 59.
^
a
b
"All-Time Top Grossers" .
Variety . 6 January 1965. p. 39. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
^
a
b
c
"All-Time Top Grossers" .
Variety . 6 January 1965. p. 67. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
^
a
b
c
d
e The Eddie Mannix Ledger , Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study .
^ Affron, Charles; Affron, Mirella Jona (2009). Best Years Going to the Movies, 1945-1946 . New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. p. 297.
ISBN
9780813548456 .
External links